​Oblivious Nerd Girl

Last night I went to #NJPWG1USA repping #balutclub #tfalpodcast. It was my first live wrestling show ever and it did not disappoint. For folks who cannot understand why I am into wrestling I recommend you watch episode 5 of GLOW on Netflix. One of the characters on the show has an epiphany about why wrestling works. .The answer? .STORIES.Entertainment is about stories. It’s what keeps us engaged and coming back for more. Stories are why I made my dad read Cinderella to me every night as a toddler. Stories are why my Lola Sabel watched All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital religiously and would not let me change the channel. Stories are why in college I could go back to my freshman year dorm at 1pm and there would be a group of us watching Days of Our Lives on the common living room tv. Stories are why summer blockbluster’s are fun, documentaries are compelling, and tv is currently in a golden age. .My history with wrestling goes back to my childhood. I watched wrestling on TV and got sucked into the story. Like Lola Sabel’s soaps, wrestling was my soap opera. As I got older I fell out of touch with what was happening, but like All My Children, I could always jump back in and get into the story.

In college PUSO Pal Berto, (FYI he is my PUSO pal because of the UCI student org Pilipino Pre-Health Undergraduate Student Organization PUSO matched us to be PUSO pals!), would watch wrestling with some friends. I remember I tried to come over and watch with the homies but my allergic reaction to cats prevented me from hanging out since I preferred being able to breathe and not having my eyes burn and my nose run. Berto is the reason for my new foray into wrestling. Last year for my birthday I got a surprise in the mail. A WWE Network card, a list of matches to watch, and a list of shows. This was my “homework.” I mentioned to him that I was getting into Lucha Underground and occasionally watching RAW and Smackdown. His birthday gift turned into putting WWE Network cards on my elfster for Christmas, and finally buying my own card when my gift cards ran out.

Which leads me to last night when we saw NJPW1USA live. I saw wrestlers I had only seen on the internet and tv before my very eyes. Hearing folks chant “This is Awesome,” boo a heel, or flip their shit when something insane happened was the best. We sat behind a family with two girls who were super into the show, flashing the #BulletClub sign, and standing on chairs for a better view. If I could time travel to my little kid self I would let that bowl cut Elaine know that one day you’ll be at a live show and there will be other girls into wrestling too. I would also tell myself the winning powerball numbers for the next jackpot and make myself promise that I wouldn’t turn into Biff Tannen. .Last night the crowd was into the story because that’s what keeps us in the seats. It’s why we boo or cheer. It’s why #tfalpodcast exists so we can tell Filipino American stories. Why hopefully one day we can talk to Dave Bautista, TJ Perkins, Kris Wolf, Jeff Cobb, DJZ Michael Paris and hear their stories as Filipino American professional wrestlers. Because if we don’t tell these stories, who will?

Need a distraction from the current presidential news cycle? Take a listen to the latest episode ofThis Filipino American Life! We talk food withSarahlynn PabloofFilipino Kitchen!

I share more stories about how my family lied to me about certain Filipino foods. And by lied I mean push their preferences for Sinigang made with fish (yuck) and Tortang Talong not being made with ground beef (double yuck).

I'm happy to announce the return of Color Your Troubles Away! 2017 is the year of Get Shit Done. Collaborating with community folks motivates me on getting CYTA done! Quite excited to be joining the Diggin' Sunday family on providing the coloring meditation while they provide everyone with the vinyl melodies to help soothe, inspire, and motivate our minds.

The TFAL Podcast crew has been quite productive. This week we put out a timely episode about the holidays! On this episode we talk about holiday traditions. Listen as Ryan talks about his life on the streets, how Mike needs to give us a sample of his minus one solos, and how Joe keeps up the Santa tradition alive for his family. Me? I talk about how I found Santa's gift wrap and that I was still writing to letters to Santa in my teens. Yes my teens. Enjoy this episode! And SPOILER ALERT. If you are listening and have kids, maybe this is one you might wanna skip with them, because we spill the beans about Santa!

Christmas is coming! (Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit!) What are your unique Filipino American Christmas traditions? Do you go to Simbang Gabi…at 7pm? Do you make parols? Do you visit the Philippines every Christmas? Do you send your loved ones balikbayan boxes? Do you eat Queso de Bola after midnight mass? Do you watch NBA basketball all day with your family while eating lechon and candied ham?Join the TFAL crew as they reminisce about old Christmas traditions they grew up on. Find out how Elaine discovered the real truth about Santa Claus. Find out which is Producer Mike’s favorite Xmas movie. Find out what Shrek character Ryan dressed up as. And find out what the heck is going on in the picture above.Listen through the embedded player below, download directly here, or subscribe to us on iTunes here!

Mike picked up a fancy shmancy 360 camera and captured what it's like when we record TFAL at Berllado Studios. As you can see we have fun doing this show.

This Filipino American Life Episode 5: Filipinos in Higher Education is now up. This episode was really fun to record. We had two guests on this episode. Ivy Dulay Daulo, who's an instructor at California State University Long Beach, and Kevin Casasola, a student at University of California Los Angeles. I loved that we got to hear both their perspectives on what Pilipino Studies means to them.

We share our experiences with Pilipino Studies and Asian American Studies in college. I find it interesting that a movement that I was a part of in college called Tagalog And Pilipino Studies (TAPS) is something that Kevin and his fellow students study as an organizing model. Props to the students who continue to fight for these courses on your college campuses.

In this mini episode, the TFAL crew and Vincent Collyer, TFAL graphic designer, talk about their experiences traveling to the Philippines, and how crazy it is that I have never set foot on Philippine soil. Is it really more fun in the Philippines? Is it time for me to make the journey to the motherland? Let us know! Tweet at us @TFALpodcast. Comment on This Filipino American Life. Email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com

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Check out our mini episode on Filipino Names below. We're trying a thing where we do mini episodes that cover more light hearted fare in comparison to a full episode where we tackle tougher subjects.

Tougher subjects like Therapy and Mental Health which is what we talk about it Episode 2. It's early on our podcast journey, but I'm really proud of what Joe, Ryan, Mike, and I are creating. The conversations are enlightening and the comments and feedback we get from folks has been awesome.